Vanilla Ice Cream - Hardcover

Everyday life conspires to change the world. Want to try an ice cream cone? ... The text is minimal, as compressed as a prose poem, letting Graham's spacious, impeccably placed and paced watercolors tell the tale. ... Heed Graham: Get up, get out of bed (drag a comb across your head, if you must), and go forth.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The line and watercolor art [has] energy and changing vistas, from teeming city to vast ocean to cozy family scene. Children will enjoy taking this trip and keeping their eyes on the hungry little bird.
--Booklist

Letting his airy, bird's-eye view watercolor images do most of the telling, Graham (The Silver Button) melds the globe-spanning journey of a scavenging sparrow and a toddler's outing with her grandparents in a tale that subtly celebrates the world's interconnectedness, as well as one of the great "firsts" in the life of a child. ... Graham's sequential panels convey a true sense of travel in a story that calls to mind the "butterfly effect," even as it follows a bird.
--Publishers Weekly

An intriguing and imaginative story, and Graham's brief, spare text (some spreads are in fact wordless) and expansive, trademark ink and watercolor illustrations keep the action tightly focused. ... This could spark an interesting discussion about unintentional animal stowaways or trigger some thoughtful musing about the ways in which one small action can result in a domino-chain of events.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

This is a quieter book than some of Graham's other titles, but his signature theme, that of connection, remains vibrant and joyous, and we are treated again to his particular loving portraits of people of all shapes, sorts, and conditions. What makes the whole world one? A shared love of snacking (and that distinctive Graham nose).
--Horn Book

Graham is clearly a very skilled illustrator... The unnamed sparrow is depicted with lovely realism in both the text and the ink and watercolor art... The book design offers a variety of perspectives along with the brief snippets of text, including various size panels, spot art, single-page images, and full-page spreads.
--School Library Journal

This philosophical meditation on life's unexpected events reminds readers that sometimes chance events have unexpected but pleasant results. The ink and watercolor illustrations are as attractive as the book's message. It's hard to think of anything more delightful than an initial taste of ice cream flavored with vanilla.
--Reading Today Online

The beautiful artwork allows readers to look and see and discover.... Graham has done an excellent job encouraging young readers to stop and discover the world.
--Library Media Connection

A wild sparrow’s journey sets in motion a toddler’s new experience in Bob Graham’s tale of life’s surprising little turns — and unlikely connections.

Following some food, a curious young sparrow stows away in the back of a truck and takes an unusual voyage south — through the lush rice paddies of India, across the rough sea, and all the way into a bright new day. As the sun rises high over the city, he finds little Edie at a café with her grandma and granddad, and for a fleeting instant, his world meets up with hers and changes her life in the most delightful way. From the masterful Bob Graham comes an invitation to notice the smallest of moments as they unfold around us, full of unexpected promise.